Mass march on Parliament over benefits ‘betrayal’

By Paul Carter

More than 1,000 blind and visually-impaired people have marched on Parliament in protest at the current eligibility rules for disability living allowance (DLA).

Under current rules, blind people are excluded from claiming the higher-rate mobility component of the benefit for which other disabled people, such as wheelchair-users, are eligible.

RNIB, which led the protest and a lobby of Parliament, said the government had “betrayed” blind people.

Steve Winyard, RNIB’s head of campaigns, said: "The government says it wants fairness. What's fair about blind people who can't drive only receiving £17.75 per week when other disabled people who can drive receive £46.75 per week?”

He said that people with the most severe sight loss were “virtual prisoners in their own homes” because many cannot afford the cost of a taxi.

“We march on Parliament for a second time [following a similar march in late 2006] to finally get the justice blind people deserve," he said.

RNIB said government officials had agreed, after 18 months of negotiations, that people with the most severe sight loss could become eligible for the benefit. But when the solution was put to work and pensions secretary James Purnell in May, he decided not to act on it.

Jonathan Shaw, the minister for disabled people, said: "I was very pleased to have been able to attend the RNIB rally calling on government to extend higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance to children and working age people with severe visual impairments. I attended along with hundreds of blind and visually-impaired people from all around the UK and personally heard the concerns expressed by individuals and by the RNIB. I am considering carefully what they said.

"We understand the need to look at how and when we can make this important change to the arrangements for the mobility component of DLA. I am personally committed to taking this forward.”

Penny Cox, who runs a user-group for visually-impaired people in Yarmouth and attended the rally, said: “This government says it is for equality. It’s far from that because the people who use a wheelchair get this extra money which enables them to have this £46 as opposed to our £17.

“We have just as much need for a taxi to take us from A to B safely, and it makes a difference between whether people are stuck in their house or whether they can get a taxi to hospital, or to the pharmacy or to just get out socially.”

She also revealed that her own group has to rely on charity funding to provide members with transport to get them to the venue.

“Without that, we wouldn’t have a group, we couldn’t function,” she said.

“It’s a vital, vital bit that we need and all we’re asking for is that small bit so we can draw equal.”

*To get involved in the campaign, visit  www.rnib.org.uk/xpedio/groups/public/documents/publicwebsite/public_dlajuly2008.hcsp

Pictured (from left): Labour MP David Blunkett, Big Brother contestant Mikey Hughes, and Liberal Democrats shadow disability spokesman John Barrett MP at the protest.